“Hamas’s decisive victory in the unquestionably democratic elections held in the Palestinian occupied territories is the result of many factors. However, above all else, it is a great victory for Ariel Sharon’s policy.

For decades the destruction of the PLO has been a strategic objective for the former Israeli PM, and this was not his first attempt; Sharon’s bloody venture in Lebanon in 1982 represented a major effort to achieve this goal. However, despite both Israel’s military might and ruthless brutality-- exemplified by its role in the Sabra and Shatila massacres-- the Lebanon invasion failed.

Back in power in 2001, Ariel Sharon was determined to succeed where he failed two decades before...”